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EPSRC Reference: GR/M53622/01
Title: GIANT KERR NONLINEARITIES AND SINGLE-PHOTON CAVITY CONTROL IN LASER-COOLED RUBIDIUM
Principal Investigator: Durrant, Dr A
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Physical Sciences
Organisation: Open University
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 04 January 1999 Ends: 03 January 2002 Value (£): 133,816
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Atoms & Ions Optical Phenomena
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
This proposal is for an experimental and theoretical investigation of atomic coherence effects produced when two or more laser beams irradiate an atom, and to demonstrate how these effects can be used to enable a single photon to control the transmission of an optical cavity. The proposal exploits and combines two physical mechanisms:i) the loss-free transmission and exceptionally large dispersion of a resonant probe beam in the presence of another coherent beam (electromagnetically induced transparency), and ii) the control of the phase of a probe laser by the intensity of a 'signal' beam, i.e. the Kerr effect. The experimental work will be carried out in a rubidium magneto-optical trap thereby taking advantage of the Doppler-free properties of laser-cooled atoms. The very large signal-induced phase shifts (i.e. giant Kerr non-linearities) will be of interest in experimental tests of quantum measurement theory where it is useful to be able to deduce the intensity in experimental tests of measurements of the phase of a 'meter' beam, i.e. quantum non-demolition measurements. Single-photon cavity control could have applications to the development of optical logical gates for quantum computing and cryptology.
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